The United Nations General Assembly declared May 3 to be World Press Freedom Day (World Press Day) in order to raise awareness of the importance of freedom of expression for the press. While joining the world to commensurate the World press day, the Bayelsa chapter of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) on Friday 3rd of May 2018 called on the Federal Governments to provide adequate security for journalists especially those deployed for elections.
The theme for 2019 world freedom day is "Media for Democracy: Journalism and Elections in Times of Disinformation”. According to the Chairman of NUJ (Bayelsa), Mr Samuel Numonengi while addressing journalists said that the theme was apt considering the critical role of the press in shaping democratic practices especially the roles journalism plays in ensuring free, fair and credible elections.
He also paid tribute to journalists who lost their lives in the line of duty and called for the defense of the media from attacks on their independence to enable them to be the society’s watchdog. He further added that the day serves as a reminder of the importance of a free press in democratic practices as proclaimed by the UN General Assembly in 1993.
Mr Numonengi made mention that no democracy would be complete without access to transparent and reliable information, adding that free press was the cornerstone for building a fair and impartial society. He, therefore, urged politicians, leaders and governments to support media freedom as it served as a catalyst for deepening democracy and sustaining development in digital times.